Beta Cottage, Suffolk: a place to swim, rest and create

Planning swim holidays and trips yourself can be tricky when there are so many wonderful places to stay in the UK, Ella Foote discovers staying in a swimmer’s home-from-home is a good place to start.

You know you have discovered ideal holiday accommodation when firstly, you feel right at home before spending the night and secondly, you don’t want to leave. Arriving at Beta Cottage, in Walberswick, late in the afternoon meant we didn’t have much time to spare before losing the light for a sea-swim, which we were assured was a short walk away. But the property itself is so beautiful, warm and welcoming, it was hard to leave it so soon after stepping inside. Nevertheless, we did find our way down to the beach and beyond the sand dunes and a row of beach huts, there the North Sea reflected the pink sky just as owner, Kate McGwire had promised.

Beta Cottage’s interior was designed by Ernst L. Freud, Austrian architect and child of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. It was where Kate enjoyed holidays as a child and as an adult where she spent time with her mother swimming in the North Sea together. Kate’s mother was such a regular in the sea-swimming community that she believed she was still swimming in the late days of her life when she rarely left her bed. Being able to honour her late mother and share the local community with others is what has driven Kate to restore and rent her mother’s cottage on The Green in Walberswick, Suffolk. As well as being a perfect seaside location for holidays and retreat, it is also a great base for swimming locally and nearby.

As an artist, Kate has renovated the property with a creative eye and nod to the creative community. The Suffolk coast is a huge draw for artists, writers, thespians and creatives to live, escape and nurture their art. Celebrities are known to live locally, including Richard Curtis, Emma Freud and Libby Purves but there is also a rich history of crafting and creating in the area. Like the light and colours that have inspired artists in Cornish St Ives, the coastline at Southwold and Walberswick have been a muse for many. It seems fitting then that Kate continues this rich and inspiring history by taking on her mother’s home and offer it to future artists and creatives for their escape and perhaps stimulus. But, of course, it isn’t just the artists that love the area, outdoor swimmers gather locally too, and people meet daily at 7.30am for a swim, so there will always be another person to swim with, even if your travelling companions are not so keen!

Beta Cottage is available for three-night minimum stays. We stayed for a week and there is more than enough to do locally and more swimming spots than we could cover in a that time, so we will have to return to explore further. There are four bedrooms, the property can sleep up to eight people. Each room is stylishly decorated, two of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. That is one of the perks of the property – that there are four bathrooms – when there is a group of you returning from the beach all sandy and cold, there are enough places for everyone to wash and warm-up.

As well as ample space to feed, entertain and spend time as a group or family in the home, there are also lots of lovely corners and spaces across the property that allow for solo time or escape. In warm sunshine we were able to sit out front of the property while our son played with the local kids on the green and on a rainy day, I was able to find a spot to curl up with a book away from the noise of inside games! When travelling with family or friends, I think it is wonderful when there is space for all personalities to thrive.

As well as being in the beautiful sleepy village of Walberswick, the cottage is close to award-winning pubs and a deli to pick up breakfast pastries on the way back from a morning swim! A short drive, or (in season) ferry ride across the river, you will find yourself in popular Southwold, which has a beautiful beach, independent shops and a lighthouse! We also visited nearby Aldeburgh which has another beautiful beach and the stunning Scallop sculpture created by British artist Maggi Hambling. There are so many great places to see and visit but another favourite was Snape Maltings which sits on the bank of the River Alde and offers further independent shops, café, performance venues and galleries.

The beach at Walberswick is long with a mix of sand and shingle. It is just a five minute walk from Beta Cottage to the water’s edge. Swimming here is simple and pleasant, it is easier to swim at high tide but you can get in at any time really. There can be a current that runs along the shore depending on the tide incoming or outgoing, but it is mostly shallow enough to stand. Due to the curve of the land, it can be a little less windswept depending on conditions and it is often quieter than nearby Southwold. The harbour at Walberswick is famous for crabbing and here are competitions in the height of the season. What is beautiful though is the nature reserve and surroundings, meaning there are plenty of walking routes to enjoy.

While you can swim daily in the sea while staying a Beta Cottage, there are also nearby swim spots worth a visit. The beautiful Beccles Lido is just a 25-minute drive away. The lido is a traditional 30 metre, outdoor, heated swimming pool that is scenically situated next to the River Waveney. It was developed from a bathing place in the river, which was created as a safer swim spot in 1894. Then in 1959 the bathing place was replaced by an unheated pool and then transformed again in 2009 to the beautiful lido it is today. It is loved by locals and offers year-round swimming with a winter swim timetable too.

A little further along the River Waveney is the brilliant Secret Sauna at Bungay, which is also about 30 minutes away from Beta Cottage. This is a beautiful sauna at the tip of an island on the river which can be booked for private or public sessions. Outdoor Swimmer visited last year, you can read more on our website. As well as the sauna, there are steps into the river here and a fantastic coffee shop for after swim refreshments! Both Beccles Lido and the Secret Sauna are bookable and recommended!

Back at Beta Cottage our son tells us the house makes him want to create something, so we spend an afternoon honouring our host’s home by being creative. The local deli has homemade pizzas you can take home to bake, so that is what we do and Beta is the perfect location to do it.